Artist rocks series to smithereens

Author: Robert Norberg

The After Dark Music Series wrapped up its 13th season Saturday night at the Middlebury United Methodist Church with a performance by a local favorite and mainstay - singer-songwriter and folk/blues guitarist Chris Smither. Smither has appeared in the After Dark series for the past 12 years and in Middlebury for the past 13. Coordinating Saturday's event and the perennial After Dark Music Series were Carol and Harvey Green. The Greens started the series 13 years ago as a way to complement the hugely popular Middlebury Festival on the Green, which takes place during the summer.

"We really wanted to bring back performers in the winter," said Carol Green, explaining the inspiration for the After Dark series. "We try to get national touring artists and not just American acts, but European as well." The series features jazz, blues, Celtic, folk and bluegrass music, as well as what Green refers to as "the classic singer-songwriters, like Chris [Smither]."

Smither, in his sixties, has been performing for over 40 years, frequenting American jazz, folk and blues festivals, as well as festivals abroad. While he is accustomed to playing for the large crowds at such distinguished venues as the Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in his hometown, Smither calls the 200-seat Methodist Church an "ideal size," and the intimate setting and great audience make it "hard not to play a good show here."

For Smither, Vermont holds a special place in his heart, as he is quoted on the After Dark Web site saying, "winter holds no fear, as long as I get to come to Middlebury." Smither admitted that, while he loves Middlebury, this was intended as a joke, because "every time I come here," he laughed, "it seems to be snowing."

Saturday night was no wintry exception. As Smither took the stage in front of a packed house at the Methodist Church and started in with his characteristic tongue-in-cheek tunes, folksy blues and lively personal anecdotes, the inevitable flurries he referred to came down outside. Smither's first set consisted of such favorites as "Lola" and "Father's Day," a tribute to his recently deceased father. The highlights of the first half, however, were two tracks off his most recent album, 2006's Leave the Light On, which Smither refers to as "educational pieces," the first being "Origin of Species."

Smither smirked his way through the lyrics of the song, which lightly jabs at creationism and intelligent design. While his satire resulted in waves of laughter throughout the audience, Smither jokingly conceded as he sat ironically beneath a massive cross that the song "should probably end with apologies." The second "educational piece" was "Diplomacy," a song that Smither classifies sarcastically as a "brief overview of the State Department," a not-so-subtle dig at the war in Iraq. Luckily, Smither added, "in nine months I won't have to sing that song."

After mingling with the crowd during the set break, Smither went back to work, churning out 12 more tunes as well as an encore. The second set included the title track from the 2006 album, Leave the Light On, a cover of Roly Salley's "Killin' the Blues," Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" and Smither's most commercially successful track, "Love Me Like a Man." In admitting the commercial hit and the fact that over 15 artists have covered the song, Smither joked, "strange, they're all women." Also from his latest album, Smither performed a moving cover of one of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan, with "Visions of Johanna." In a post-performance interview, Smither admitted that, while he "learned guitar from the country and blues guys," his two primary influences being Lightning Hopkins and Mississippi John Hurt, Dylan's influence on his genre is undeniable.

"Before Dylan," Smither noted, "no one paid attention to songwriters. Then he breaks out, saying 'here's a song I wrote. Here's another song I wrote.' And people began to appreciate songwriters." Smither concluded saying, "If it weren't for Bob Dylan, guys like me wouldn't have jobs."

Although Smither's success can be attributed to his impressive control of the blues, folk and country genres, his skill as a pure performer is the driving force in his act. Smither points to the "big topics" of "Life, Love, Death and Transience" as his songwriting sources over the years, but with his wit, humor and charm he is able to make these matters not only upbeat in performing them, but interactive.

"He's played shows where he hasn't talked at all either," said Carol Green lauding the power of Smither's showmanship. "But [he] is still mesmerizing just because of his playing" she added.

While the After Dark Music Series has concluded for this season, it will return again in September. Green appreciates the sense of community that the After Dark Music Series has brought to Middlebury for the past 13 winters, made entirely possible by a team of great volunteers.

"It's always great to get the College involved as well," Green added. "Especially with performers that transcend the generation gap like we had tonight in Chris Smither."